5 interactive advertising trends for 2015

Advertising will become more innovative, interactive and imaginative this year, predict brand consultants Greenspace.

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Gone are the days when the advertising industry was just about coming up with a catchy slogan and a static illustration. Brand consultants Greenspace look ahead to the next 12 months and predicts how this exciting discipline will continue to evolve...

01. Making video more interactive

Honda's new interactive advert

We have already seen this trend begin to emerge at the end of 2014. For example brands have begun to introduce interactive ads using technology to tell the story.

02. New uses for social media

Instagram was a key part of our project with Bershka

For social, the only constant is change. Brands will have to employ core strategies that are adaptable to any social platform. The coming year is set to see an increase in audience engagement and immersion into brands, rooting from activation on their social media platforms.

Brands and marketing researchers will also start to use social media as a tool to measure the success of brand activation. Over Christmas, for example, brands such as John Lewis and Marks and Spencer began measuring the success of their campaigns using Twitter.

03. More online-offline integration

The pop-up Heineken bar at London's Design Festival

While social media continues to evolve, the offline experience will be just as important in 2015. We will see the online and offline join up to create a more engaging brand experience that encourages consumers to spend more one-on-one time with their brand.

For example, Nike and Heineken have already started this trend, launching their own pop-up events to create a more immersive experience in their brand activations. Nike opened a football inspired pop-up skatepark inside Nike Phenomenal House, which was part of the Brotherhood Of The Feet campaign, while Heineken celebrated London Design Festival with their ultimate pop-up lounge.

More online and offline integration will result in an increasing human element, and deeper relationships emerge between consumer and brand. Through this strategy it will create a lasting memory for the consumer, and will generate a lasting legacy for the brand.

This idea is something Greenspace always has at the forefront of our minds when taking on a project. The idea of combining the online and offline experience is something we included in our brand activations for Bershka at the 2014 Sónar Festival and for ŠKODA at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

04. Data gets more important than ever

Data gathering is increasingly integral to advertising, as with our recent project with ŠKODA

At the forefront of any brand strategy are the goals of the brand, relevant issues and essentials insights to ensure the activation will result in an experience that will positively endorse the brand and meet its objectives.

As technology continues to develop in 2015 we will see an increase in innovative data gathering, which will enable us to dig deeper to gain essential customer insights, increasing the success of brand activations.

05. Content strategies get more personalised

Consumers want to see a higher degree of personalisation in the messaging and content stream. As a brand, you have to be able to show how you relate closer to their needs and motives. Hyperpersonalisation and real-time marketing are terms that will be used a lot by brands in 2015, as they take the next steps in creating optimum reach to customers on a personal level.